The Texas State Board of Education gave final approval Friday to establishing Bible classes in public high schools, rejecting calls to draw specific teaching guidelines and warnings that it could lead to constitutional problems in the classroom.
So reports the Associated Press. One is forced to wonder if the P.E. coach will teach them. Or what standards will be used to determine who is qualified. Not to mention whether or not they foist their personal beliefs as fact. The State has no more business teaching the Bible than the Church has endorsing politicians.
Chuck Grantham said,
July 20, 2008 at 9:51 am
Heigh, heigh ho, it’s straight to the courts this goes.
This could increase Texas sales of the KJV, at least. And thereby kill a lot of interest in the Bible in students who can’t get into the language.
Kevin D. said,
July 20, 2008 at 12:02 pm
And Tennessee may be next in line. I know these evangelicals mean well, but they have no idea how problematic this is. I took biblical studies courses as an undergraduate at the local state university, where the professors treated and dissected the Bible like any other historical and literary document, with a presumed materialist (i.e., anti-supernaturalist) hermeneutic and pretended “non-value” judgments. I’m pretty sure that this is not what these Southern Baptists (etc.) want their kids getting in high school but this is probably what they’ll get. And I’m sure the class discussions on the “evil war-God of the Old Testament” will be enlightening. Of course, the vast majority of these evangelicals have no idea what historical criticism is, so they live in the naive assumption that if people just read the Bible they can be convicted and brought into a saving relationship with Jesus. So, yes, I agree with Jim that the State has no business teaching the Bible.
Bob Schillaci said,
July 20, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Again….it’s Texas. Nuff said.
Controversy over Elective Bible Classes « Zionism and the State of Israel said,
July 21, 2008 at 1:20 am
[...] the rest at Google News. Via Jim West. Explore posts in the same categories: [...]